Tool for using dental floss.



F. 0. GAMBLE.

TOOL FOR USING DENTAL FLOSS.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 20, 1912.

1, 1 1 0,680, Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

FBEDERICKO. GAMBLEOF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

TOOL FOR USING DENTAL FLOSS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Sept. 15, 1914.

Application filed November '20, 1912. Serial No. 732,412.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK O. GAM- BLE, a citizen-of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented new and useful- Improvements in Tools for Using Dental Floss, of which the following is a' specification, reference being had to the accompany.- ing drawings, forming apart thereof.

The purpose of this invention isto pro-. vide a convenient tool with. which dental floss may be held and manipulated for the customary purpose for which such oss is used; viz., cleaning and removing obstruc-' tions frdm between the teeth.

It consists'in the-elements and features of construction shown and described as indicated in the claims- In the drawings :-F1gure 1 is a partly sectional plan view of a tool embodying this invention, section being made at the line 1-1 on Fig. 2. Fig.2 is an edge elevation of the same. Fig. 3 is an edge elevation of one ot the members of the tool. Fig. 4 is an edge elevation of the other member. Fig. 5 is an axial'section ofthe bobbin for holding-the floss. Fig. 6 is an elevation of one of the floss-holding clamps with its stem or spindle. Fig. 7 is a detail section at the line 7--7 on Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a side view and Fi 9 is an edge view of a modified form 0 terminal of the spreader arm.

The tool embodying this invention comprises two members, 1 and 2, which are pivoted together, as seen in Fig. 1, each member comprisng a floss-holding spreader arm, A, and a handle, B, extending oppositely from the pivot, the handle and spreading arm of each member being at an obtuse angle to each other, the two members being pivoted together with the obtuse angles opening away from each other, so that when thus pivoted the closing together of the handles operates to separate the spreader arms. Each of the members, 1 and 2, has the middle portion of its length at which the pivot is located ofi'set along the pivot axis from the other member, so that when the two members are applied to each other and connected by the pivot at said ofl'set portions there is formed between them a space extending for a short distance radially from the pivot, in which there is accommodated a bobbin, 3, mounted on the pivot stud, 4. Said pivot stud is rigid with the member, 1, and it has a head-4, back of which it is restud, 4; and this members are assembled in the manner decoiled around it on the inner arm a spring, 9, stopped against a nut, 10,

there is pivoted at the bottom of the duced in diameter in a direction transvers to the length of the member, 1, by cutting away a small segment ateachside, leaving it at that point of the form shown in Fig. 7. The member, 2, has a pivotal aperture, 2", for receiving the stud, 4, of the full diameter of s ald stud back of its. head; that is,

without regard to said reduction; and said pivotal aperture, 2", is entered by a slot, 2, leading radially thereinto, said slot bein of a widthto admit the reduced portion 0 the stud, 4;, the two members belng therefore susceptible of being assembled by entering the pivot stud through the slot, 2, when the two members are substantially at right angles to each other. Being thus assembled, they are retained against separation by turning the one member upon the other into operative position, as shown in Fig. 1. The bobbin, 3, has its central aperture, 3*, large enough to be passed over the head, 4*, of the being done before the two scribed, the bobbin is thus loosely carried on the pivot stud, 4.

The members .1 and 2, are formed with disks, 1 and 2 respectively, concentric with the pivot apertures, the slot, 2, cut.- ting' through the disk, 2, to its edge, and the bobbin, 3, is of such dimension as to be pressed slightly ence of these disks when the tool is fully assembled, so that it is, frictionally restrained to prevent too free rotation ,in service. 'The dental floss, represented at 6 runs from. the bobbin along the edge o the spreading arm of the member, 2, lying in a groove, 2?, in said arm,'and passing through an eye, 2 at the end of the arm, thence across the gap between the ends of the two spreading arms through an eye, 1 in the end of the arm of the member, 1, back in a groove, 1, in the outer edge of the arm of said member, 1. On each arm, lodged in the groove thereof, there is provided a clamp comprising a head, 7, having its under side corrugated, and a stem, 8, which extends through the arm and has side of the riveted on the inner end of the'stem; and oove, adjacent to the aperture in the arm t rough which the stem, 8, extends, shoulder, 11, which matches the corrugated shoulder of the head, 7 so that the floss.

between the clrcumfera corrugated 11o thread will 6, passing between the two corrugated. shoulders is firmly gripped by the pressure of the spring, 9. The floss being threaded into the tool in the manner thus described and shown in Fig. 1, it is in condition for use, the handles being grasped between the thumb and finger of the user after the mannenof handling a pair of scissors, but with this difference,-that pressing the two handles together by the thumb-and fingers spreads the arms at the opposite ends and stretches the floss between the two eyes,'1 and 2 so that it can be introduced and drawn back and forth between the teeth for the usual purpose for which dental floss isthus employed. When a portion of the floss becomes mutilated so that a newportion must be brought into service, the operator, slightly spreading the handle ends, will slack the floss, and then taking hold of the end of the floss which protrudes beyond the clamp in the arm, 2, he can draw the floss through both clamps and the eyes, 1 and 2 bringing the desired fresh portion into the space. between the two arms. For retaining thefloss securely, as described, -it passes through guide eyes in the stems of both the clamps, and for conveniently introducing the floss into these guide eyes, the guide eye in each stem is made in the form shown in Fig. 6; that is, in the form of an angle slot, 11, opening at the side of the stem and extending into the axis and then longitudinally to the corrugated shoulder. For threading the floss into the tool, the two handles will be slightly spread until the nuts on the inner ends of the stems, 8, of the clamps coming into contact, cause both clamps to be forced outward against the resistance of the springs sufliciently to uncover the mouths of the guide eyes, 11, so that the floss may be introduced laterally threinto between the corrugated rolls.

It may be found desirable in some cases to make the spreader arms self-threading at the terminals; and for that purpose, the form of construction shown in Figs. 8 and 9 may be employed. This modification consists in splitting or forking the end of the spreader arm to make a thread entrance, 15,. and forming each of the fork members, 16, as a hook, the two hooks turning in opposite directions, as clearly seen in Fig. 9. The then be introduced through the rift, 15, and turned crosswise thereof, to engage both books.

I claim 1. A device for the purpose indicated, comprising two. members and a pivot at which they are connected, each having a handle and a spreading arm extending in opposite directions from the pivotal connection, said handle and arm of each member being at the same side of a plane which contains the axis of the pivot and which handle and a spreading arm extending in opposite directions from the pivot, the handle and arm of each member being at the same side of a plane which contains the axis of the pivot and which extends between the two handles, whereby the approach of the handle separates the spreading arms, the handles being offset from each other in the direction of the axis of their pivotal co11- nection to permit them to pass by each other,

the pivot being a stud mounted upon one member having a head, and a portlon back of the stud oblong in cross-section, the other member having a pivot bearing whose diameter is equal to the longer dimension of said oblong portion, and a slot leading into said bearing whose width is less, than the longer and adapted to accommodate the shorter dimension of said oblong'portion, said longer dimension and said slot being positioned on the respective members transverselyto each other at all operative positions of the device.

3. A -device for the purpose indicated, comprising two members and a pivot at which they are connected, each having a handle and a spreading arm extending in opposite directions from the pivot, the spreading arms being directly opposed to each other in their respective paths of their movement about the pivot axis, the handle and arm of each member being at the same side of a plane which contains the axis of the pivot and which extends between the two handles; whereby the approach of the handle separates the spreading arms, the handles being oflst from each other in the direction of the axis of their pivotal connection to permit them to pass by each other, the pivot being a stud mounted uponone member having a head and aportion back of the stud oblong in cross-section, the other member having a pivot bearing whose diameter is equal to the 11 ager dimension of said longer portion, and a slot leading into said bearing whose width is less than the longer and adapted to accommodate the shorter dimension of said oblong portion, this longer dimension and said slot being positioned'on the respective members at an angle to each other greater than the angle be tween the handles at the closed position of the spreading arms; whereby the handles must be lapped past each other in order to nudeeo bring said slot and longer dimension in alinement.

A. A device for the purpose indicated,

comprising two pivotally-connected members each having a handle and a spreading arm extending in opposite directions from the axis of said connection, said handle and arm of each member being at the same side of the plane which contains said axis and which extends between the two handles; a bobbin mounted for turning about said axis, each spreading arm having a terminal thread guide and clamps on each arm back of the thread guides.

5. A device for the purpose indicated comprising two members and a pivot at which they are connected, each having a spreading arm and an operating handle; each of the spreading arms having a thread guide; thread clamps mounted upon the spreading arms, respectively, back of the thread guides,

each clamp having a stem extending through the arm, said stems being opposed to each other between the arms and of such length that they meet when the spreadin arms approach each other within a pre etermined distance, and springs which hold the thread clamps against the arms to clamp the thread.

6. A device for the purpose indicated, comprising two members and a pivot at which they are connected, having, respectively, spreading arms extending divergently fromthe ivot, said spreading arms having terminal t read guides and grooves leadin to said terminal guides; a bobbin mounte for rotation about the ivot, the thread groove of one of the sprea 'ng arms leadin to its inner side for receiving the threa from the bobbin.

7. A device for the purpose indicated, comprising two members and a pivot at which they are connected, each having a handle and a spreading arm, each of said members being offset from the other at the vicinity of the pivot; a bobbin mounted on the pivot and accommodated in the ofiset portions of said members,each of the spreadmg arms having a terminal thread guide and a thread groove in the outer side of the arm leading to said guide, said groove in one of the spreading arms extending to the ofi'set portion thereof for receivingthe thread from the bobbin.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand, at Chicago, Illinois, this 16 day of Nov., 1912.

FREDERICK O. GAMBLE.

Witnesses:

(Ems. S. BUn'roN, Lucy I. STONE. 

